I'm sure other people have used the same title. That's okay. I started this blog a long time ago. My life has changed a ton since then, and the purpose of this blog has also changed multiple times since then. This used to be focused on sports, and I still like the image I created to emphasize that, so I'm leaving it here. But it's not very relevant to the current content of this blog.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Sorry, sometimes I get carried away. I wanted to have a big, ominous-looking headline. I am now signed up for the last three tests I need before I can get into the education program at the University of Oregon. Now I need to get that application done and my references taken care of. On the other side, Shane is ready to talk about Leuven and all three references for that application are good to go, so now I need to work hard on revamping a paper and figuring out how to convince people that they should let me study philosophy. The timeline for my trip so the bay area seems to be formalizing, since I figured out last night when the Cal-Stanford swim meet is. The last two weeks of February (which includes the beginning of March) will most likely find me down by the bay. Now I just want to figure out when and how I can get back out to Chicago and down to Phoenix. I've got a wedding in Phoenix in early June, but it'd be sweet to get down there another time before then...maybe around my brother's college graduation in May? Now I'm thinking in text, for all to see. Which makes for drivel, in my opinion. So I'm done.

I just finished reading this piece from The New Yorker. The thing that's most interesting about it to me, and the most relevant, is the question it raises about government regulation. Liberals and conservatives alike, at various times and in differing circumstances, have tended toward a desire for deregulation, which they've gotten. Is that really better for the public? The article doesn't answer that question at all, but it does make the question palatable.

So all three professors are on board for writing recommendations, which is a fantastic place for me to be on the road to possible graduate study in Belgium. Now all I need to do is work on a previous paper that I might be able to turn into something good, get some personal information/goals to the professors so they can write strong letters, and talk to Shane enough to decide if I'm really serious about this. But still, I'm very excited that all three professors are on board, that was the most important thing for me in this part of the process.

On a different note: I ran (and walked, I'm way out of shape) today, and it was the first time in a while I've really worked out. Importance: as much as I want to work out because it's good for me, the hedonistic reason will probably beat out the healthy reason, because I love endorphins. (I just re-read the article "Moral Saints" by Susan Wolf, so I don't think this is a bad thing at the moment.)

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Besides re-reading some good stuff, I'm also reading several other things. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard, which is pretty incredible so far, and Silence by Shusaku Endo. Both of these authors were highlighted by Philip Yancey in his book Soul Survivor, and so far I'm quite appreciative of him for praising them so highly.

In sports-related news, I'll be substitute teaching at Troy Polamalu's alma mater tomorrow. And with responses from two of the three professors I emailed about being references for me with Leuven, things are picking up speed.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Today I re-read two things that were fairly inspiring the very first time I read them. One was the article "Modern Moral Philosophy" by G.E.M. Anscombe. The other was the short story "A Perfect Day For Bananafish" by J.D. Salinger. Other than both authors being elitists and going by multiple initials followed by last names, these two chunks of text have in common the ability to motivate and inspire me. Anscombe's article is a critique of moral philosophy since the time of Aristotle. It's funny and arrogant and insightful, and did much to push the issue of virtue ethics into the minds of many philosophers. Reading it again, in part because I'm getting really serious about getting back into philosophy, got me to thinking about philosophical questions again, which is a pretty important step for me if I want to go study philosophy in Belgium.Just now I finished re-reading the first story in the aptly titled collection Nine Stories by Salinger. His clarity is incredible. His dialogue is amazing. His characters leave me grasping for the right cliche. And to be honest, I re-read the story because I know Salinger has that effect on me. His writing influences my writing, and for the better. Well, I think it's for the better. And since I'm trying to work on a few short stories for the Winter Bookquet at Multnomah Bible College on February 2--nice little ad there, eh Krispin?--I thought that going back to the stories that make me think about how I use words when I write would be a good beginning.

In addition, which you probably already noticed, reading these two pieces today has been the catalyst in getting me to write something on my blog that is truly mine for the first time in a long while. So this post is dedicated to G.E.M. and J.D.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

This is a nice little article that Klosterman wrote for ESPN.com, where he routinely contributes. It's always fun to see what he has to say about sports, especially since he is recognized by so many for his insights into other areas of pop culture. So read it.

Monday, January 09, 2006

The day after Thanksgiving I received a phone call from Daniel Golden. He was looking for Wheaton alum Josh Carlton. The link above is to the article he wrote which contains a little snippet from our conversation. I think he does a good job in the article, and I also think that he asks some good questions without oversimplifying or setting up straw men. Most of all, I appreciate the fact that Dr. Hochschild is getting a bit of recognition, albeit for unfortunate reasons, because he really has been a very influential person for me.

With that said, I've recently been reconsidering graduate study in philosophy, perhaps joining Shane in Belgium. And props to Tom for posting the link to this article first, since I didn't know how to get there online.